Optical writing control device, image forming apparatus, and optical writing control method for controlling light emission of a light source

Abstract

An optical writing control device controls emission or lighting of a light source onto a photoconductor surface in a latent image forming process and a discharge process, by either setting a light emission time longer in the discharge process or setting a resolution in a sub-scanning direction lower in the discharge process, compared to the latent image forming process.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. An optical writing control device comprising:
 circuitry configured to
 control emission of a light source onto a photoconductor surface in a latent image forming process and a discharge process, the light source including a plurality of linearly-arranged light emission elements, 
 
 wherein, in the latent image forming process, the circuitry causes the light source to emit the light based on image data input to the circuitry to form an electrostatic latent image on the photoconductor surface, 
 wherein, in the discharge process, the circuitry causes the light source to emit the light while turning off a part of the plurality of light emission elements to discharge the photoconductor surface, and extends a strobe signal interval during which the light emission of the light source is driven, and 
 wherein a light emission time of one light emission control in the discharge process is set longer than a light emission time of one light emission control in the latent image forming process. 
 
     
     
       2. The optical writing control device according to  claim 1 , wherein, in the discharge process, the circuitry turns off the part of the plurality of light emission elements such that an interval between the adjacent light emission elements that are turned off is equal. 
     
     
       3. The optical writing control device according to  claim 2 , wherein, in the discharge process, the circuitry alternately controls the light emission of the plurality of light emission elements of the light source. 
     
     
       4. An image forming apparatus comprising the optical writing control device according to  claim 1 . 
     
     
       5. A method of controlling emission of a light source including a plurality of linearly-arranged light emission elements, performed by an optical writing control device, the method comprising:
 in a latent image forming process,
 causing, with circuitry, the light source to emit a light based on image data input to the circuitry to form an electrostatic latent image on a photoconductor surface; and 
 
 in a discharge process,
 causing, with the circuitry, the light source to emit a light while turning off a part of the plurality of light emission elements to discharge the photoconductor surface, and 
 extending, with the circuitry, a strobe signal interval during which the light emission of the light source is driven, 
 
 wherein a light emission time of one light emission control in the discharge process is set longer than a light emission time of one light emission control in the latent image forming process. 
 
     
     
       6. An optical writing control device comprising:
 circuitry configured to control lighting of a light source onto a photoconductor surface in latent image forming process and a discharge process, 
 wherein, in the latent image forming process, the circuitry causes the light source to emit the light based on image data input to the circuitry to form an electrostatic latent image on the photoconductor surface, 
 wherein, in the discharge process, the circuitry causes the light source to emit the light to discharge the photoconductor surface, and extends a strobe signal interval during which the light emission of the light source is driven, and 
 wherein a resolution in a sub-scanning direction in the discharge process is set lower than a resolution in a sub-scanning direction in the latent image forming process. 
 
     
     
       7. The optical writing control device according to  claim 6 , wherein the resolution in a sub-scanning direction in the discharge process is previously determined based on an exposure energy required for discharging the entire photoconductor surface. 
     
     
       8. The optical writing control device according to  claim 7 , wherein the exposure energy required for discharging the entire photoconductor surface is obtained by superimposing exposure energies corresponding to different main scanning lines. 
     
     
       9. The optical writing control device according to  claim 6 ,
 wherein the light source is a rotating reflection light source that irradiates a rotating reflection mirror with laser beams, and 
 wherein the circuitry thins out main scanning lines to be irradiated with the laser beams to control the resolution in the sub-scanning direction in the discharge process. 
 
     
     
       10. An image forming apparatus comprising the optical writing control device according to  claim 6 .